How to Please Your Pastor

Have you ever been a part of or known about a church division?  Churches have divided over a number of issues through the years. Some have been sincere and significant.  Others have been silly and senseless. 

 

Churches have divided over a pastor’s leadership style.  Churches have divided over the handling of sin.  Churches have divided over facilities and location.  Churches have divided over money and how it is spent.  Churches have divided over music styles and song selection. 

 

The Philippian Church was divided over something.  We aren’t sure what.  However, because Paul began this thought of unity last week in 1:27, and it continues in chapters 2.  He even named names of two women that were involved in the conflict in 4:2.

 

2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.

 

In our text for this morning, Paul is going to appeal to his intimate relationship with this year and plead for their unity.  Ultimately, he told them to follow the example of Jesus.

 

 

Exposition

This second chapter begins with Paul using 4 conditional statements that are all assumed to be true and serves to remind the Philippians what they share with one another.  All of the Philippians have consolation or encouragement in Christ.  All of the Philippians have the comfort of Christ’s love.  All of the Philippians share the same Holy Spirit, and all of the Philippians have affection and mercy.

 

In 2:2, Paul makes his ultimate request: fulfill my joy!  In other words, what follows is how you can please your pastor.

 

 

1. Be Unified, 2:1-2.

1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

 

Paul based this request, first, on who the Philippians were.  They were in Christ.  Consequently, they were consoled.  They were comforted.  They did share the same Holy Spirit.  They were affectionate and merciful, and again, this was all true because of who they were in Christ.

 

Also, Paul appealed to whom they loved.  Because they loved Jesus and loved him, be unified.  Notice the unity that he screamed from 2:2:

 

Be like-minded.  Be of one accord.  Be of one mind.  In other words, Paul said there was no room for division here at Philippi.

 

This must have been a fairly serious issue.  The reason I say that is because we know how Paul spoke and wrote to others churches and affirmed their diversity. 

 

As I said last week, we can differ in our opinions.  We can differ in our preferences.  We cannot differ in what is the gospel. 

 

Because we have many guests today and in case you weren’t here last week, the gospel has four essential components.  Remember, morality is not the gospel.  Baptism is not the gospel.  Church membership is not the gospel.  Republican conservatism is not the gospel.  Christian Nationalism is not the gospel.

 

The gospel is that there is one true God, the God of the Bible, and He is completely holy.  Unfortunately, we are not because of sin, and therefore, we are in need of Savior.  The good news is that Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross in our place, and was raised to life to validate everything He ever said and did, and today invites you to call on Him to be saved.  That is the gospel, and we must strive together and be united in the gospel if we are going to be good citizens of heaven. 

 

 

2. Be Selfless, 2:3-4.

3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 

 

Paul’s second piece of instruction in pleasing your pastor is to be selfless, and he talks about two ways this is accomplished.  First, esteem or think of others as more important than yourself. 

 

Now this exhortation is completely opposite of what we as humans would naturally do.  We naturally consider ourselves to be most important.  Even the nicest person you know is naturally wired to be self-centered.  Therefore, Paul instructed the Philippians to do the supernatural.

 

Second, in 2:4, he goes even further.  Not only think of others as better than self, but also think of self less. 

 

Naturally, we are going to take care of self.  We do that with eating and sleeping and bathing, etc.

 

However, Paul’s instruction is to think of self less and others more.  Don’t completely stop thinking of self, but think of self less. 

 

I think one of the best illustrations of what Paul is trying to teach the Philippians is a mother with her newborn baby.  I watched my own wife with three daughters put them first and self second. 

 

When Christy wanted and needed to sleep, they came first.  When Christy wanted and needed to eat, they came first.  When Christy wanted and needed to rest, they came first.

 

Think what might happen if we, at EBC, practiced selflessness.  Think about what would happen in your marriage, husbands, if you practiced selflessness.  Think what would happen on your job or on your team if you practiced selflessness. 

 

 

3. Think like Jesus, 2:5-11.

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

In 2:5, Paul literally says have the same mind as Christ.  However, we are not just to think like Jesus.  We are to behave like Jesus as it relates to conflict and division. 

 

Remember, Jesus was God.  That is what verse 6 says, and there is no debate about that. 

 

However, Jesus was also man.  Jesus Christ made a conscious decision not to hang onto His divine privileges.   Verse 6 says He didn’t consider it robbery to be equal with God. 

 

In other words, He didn’t consider being God a thing to be grasped or held on to.  He could have demanded His due as God, but He made a conscious decision not to.

 

Matthew 26:39 gives us perfect proof of such.  Jesus was under great distress and in the Garden of Gethsemane.

 

 

39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was on His face and if no other time, this was the one time that He wanted out.  He wanted out of what God had called Him to do. 

 

However, even though He could have said no, He didn’t.  He resolved to not demand His due.

 

In verse 7, Jesus Christ was make Himself of no reputation.  He laid aside all that He could have done as God.

 

He took the form of a bondservant and was made in the likeness of man.  He became one of us.  He extended Himself to humanity by becoming flesh.

 

In verse 8, Jesus Christ was obeyed to the point of death.  It was God’s will for Jesus Christ to be crucified.  Otherwise, in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus asked if there was another way, God would have told Him about it.  In the cruelest form of execution know to mankind, Jesus Christ died for my sins and your sins.

 

 

Conclusion

Because of what Jesus did, God exalted His only Son.  How so?  He gave Him the name that is above every other name.  It is the most important and the most powerful. 

 

Consequently, every knee will bow at the name of Jesus.  That means for those on earth, in heaven, and in hell. 

 

That also means every tongue will confess what is true.  Jesus is Lord.

 

Therefore, not only does Paul invite the Philippians and us to please our pastor.  When we do, by following the example of Christ, we will be giving glory to God the Father. 

 

However, there is also an invitation here to be saved.  Every person will bow their knee to Jesus and confess Him as Lord.  It can happen voluntarily on earth and in heaven.  Or, it can be coerced in hell.  The choice is yours.